


Unspoken Words

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [9]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Family, Fluff, Humor, Love, Marriage, Sex, problem solving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29235996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEFollowing their meeting with Queen Victoria, the Doctor and Rose still have a lot they need to figure out, but they want to see Jackie first. When they arrive, they end up having another mystery to solve, and the Doctor struggles with his lingering fears about fatherhood.The Doctor shook his head. “It’s truly flawless.”“How’s it work?” she asked.“I’d have to play with it to know for sure, but the design is gorgeous,” he said. Rose smirked.“You two want a moment alone?” she asked, and he just flashed her a look.“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he mused and she just leaned against the table.“A little, yeah,” she said, and their eyes flirted and danced with each other, and she just laughed. “We could get one for Tony.”
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111892
Comments: 6
Kudos: 129





	1. Empty Rooms

He supposed, as he pulled a small sample of blood from the vial he stole and deposited it into a petri dish, that he might be a little more worried than he realized.

Something about that action made his stomach twist and he let out a breath, trying to remind himself they were finishing what they started and whatever is supposed to happen will. Rose’s voice sang her sweet song in his ear, helping him focus, but he found himself falling into old habits as he peered through the lens anyway. 

Sometimes, his brain really irritates him. 

He wasn’t sure _what_ exactly he was worried about, a fact that was just adding to his irritation, but something was gnawing at him, leaving a rock in the middle of his gut. He sighed, trying to push it aside while he worked. 

She was still resting, the previous day still catching up to her, and he closed his eyes, making sure his blocks were strong because he also knew if he thought too hard she’d come in and pick up the pieces again without hesitation, and he didn’t want to do that to her. 

He was determined to be better. 

He sniffed, looking at the sample, and he pulled away to extract a few more drops he could feed to the TARDIS’ scanner. He was taking notes and he frowned, zooming in. 

“What?” he murmured. He began to take more notes, still deducting, when the TARDIS beeped and he glanced up, pulling out the readings. He looked them over and ran his hand through his hair, sighing before he put the paper down and stood up, moving to the media room. 

He expected to see Rose lying on the couch watching telly, but instead he found her on the floor with her back against the coffee table, reading Mr. Rhodes’ journal, a cup of tea and some biscuits sitting behind her, and another pencil in her mouth. 

He stared for a moment, watching her. 

“Hi,” she said, smiling at him. He leaned against the doorframe and shook his head at her. 

“You should be relaxing,” he said. She just rolled her eyes.

“This is relaxing,” she said. He smirked a little at her. 

“Find anything?” he asked. She shrugged. 

“It’s hard to read,” she said. “He wrote in shorthand a lot of the time. I don’t think he was her doctor for very long either, only half the notebook is filled.” 

The Doctor moved to her, sitting next to her and placing his hand on her knee. 

“The blood is Queen Victoria’s, which, well…” he said, breaking off. She smiled a little at him. 

“You already knew?” she asked. He nodded. 

“Had a feeling. And the Lupine Wavelength strand is highly active,” he murmured. “I think she was lying.” 

“About being a full wolf?” she asked. He nodded. Rose bit her lip and looked back down at the journal, flipping through the pages to see if she could see anything that had the word ‘wolf’ on it. 

He watched, and he found himself mesmerized by her, watching her tongue and her mouth and resisting the urge to kiss her. He began to rub his thumb along her knee slowly, and she reached behind her to grab a sip of tea, so focused she almost missed the table when she went to put the mug back down. He laughed at her and helped, and she flashed him a little smile, returning to her book. 

“This is something, maybe,” she began. “A moon.” 

The Doctor looked over her shoulder at the page, where a picture of a full moon was carefully etched in ink, and he clenched his jaw. “He knew.” 

Rose bit her lip, looking at the journal and she closed it slowly, thinking. “I think…”

“What?” the Doctor asked. She just looked at him, her eyes dancing with his. 

“They all did,” she said. “Everyone in that house. They knew. Mr. Townes really didn’t want to let us in at first, he only did after he thought we had one of the son’s approval, and he knew to polish the silver with wax. Myrtle and Laura and all the maids kept crying, but...what if it wasn’t just sadness? What if it was also fear?” 

“What would they be afraid of?” he asked. 

“Her,” she said. “Maybe they just found out or something.” 

He grabbed the journal and turned the pages slowly, reading carefully. “Anything’s possible at this point. We don’t know anything.” 

“What was the last thing he wrote?” Rose asked, and the Doctor glanced at her, flipping to the final entry. He stared at it curiously, and she just bit her lip. He looked over at her and smiled, realizing it was all medical jargon she didn’t understand. 

“That’s her blood pressure,” the Doctor muttered. “That’s her oxygen level. It’s all pretty standard. Though the numbers are dismal.” 

Rose sighed. “Well, that’s to be expected. He knew she was dying, he said it multiple times.” 

They both sat in thought and the Doctor shifted his hand off of her knee to her waist, drawing small circles as he continued to look through the notebook. Rose looked at him, her hand twisting her wedding ring. “He said Mr. Townes was playing with fire.” 

“Townes claimed he was doing his patriotic duty,” the Doctor muttered. “Who hired Rhodes?” Rose bit her lip. 

“Not sure,” she said. “I think Edward. He said he trusted him...Though, I don’t know, Doctor. _He_ gave me a weird feeling, too.” 

“What do your Instincts say now? Because I have my own theory,” he said, looking at her. Rose nibbled on her lip. 

“I think they were afraid of Queen Victoria’s secret getting out,” she said. 

“That’s a loaded statement,” the Doctor said, still bitter and angry about what they learned with the orphans. “But I agree. Rhodes must be special in some way, if Edward brought him in. The amount of blood in his bag was startling.” 

“Finding a cure?” Rose asked, The Doctor looked at her. 

“Townes wanted him to fix something, that’s all that makes sense to me,” he said. Rose leaned her head on his shoulder, and he kissed her forehead. “Patriotic duty…That’s not always a good thing, depending on the person, is it?” 

“I also think someone else knows, Doctor,” she whispered. “Whoever enacted the timelock.” 

“The question is why they enacted it,” the Doctor said. “Was it to protect the secret or expose it?” 

He just looked at her, hazel galaxies swimming in chocolate. Despite the heaviness of the conversation, they both felt relief being able to look at the evidence and talk it out, and the Doctor felt his knot begin to untie.

Their eyes continued to dance, and he closed the journal, setting it off to the side. They were both suddenly a little high on adrenaline, falling impossibly more in love with each other as they were reminded what a perfect team they are, leading with love and Instincts, and their lips met, tender at first, but Rose deepened it. He moaned a little, and darted his tongue out. 

“You taste like peppermint,” he said, smiling, and she just nodded. 

“Now you do, too,” she teased, and he kissed her again. When he pulled away, she was rubbing her lips together, savoring him, and he felt his breath hitch. 

“I love you, Rose,” he said. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “What do you think? Ask Jack and Mickey for some help?” 

The Doctor smiled at her, pulling her to him so she could lean her head on his shoulder. “I s’pose that’s the most logical next step, isn’t it?” 

She kissed his shoulder, and slid her hand into his. “Yeah,” she said, but she didn’t move right away, and he watched her when she eventually did stand up and hold her hand out. “Can I show you something?” 

He smiled, taking her hand, and she led him down the hallway to a door across from their bedroom, and she pushed it open. He walked inside, and he felt his heartbeat begin to beat rapidly against his chest, turning to look at her. 

“It’s empty,” he said. “What was here before?” She smiled at the confused look on his face, resting her back against the wall. 

“The TARDIS showed it to me when you were worrying this morning,” she said, and he just looked at her, sighing. 

“Can’t have any secrets, can I?” he asked, a small smile on his face. She bit her lip, choosing not to dwell on that with him as she moved forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“I think it’s meant to be the nursery,” she whispered. “And I was wondering if you maybe wanted to show me that design you had in that big Time Lord brain of yours.” 

“Really?” he asked, staring at her. She rested her chin on his chest. 

“Please?” she said, and he smiled at her, looking up at the walls and he moved to wrap his arm around her waist. His hearts were still pounding and he sniffed for a moment, deciding where to begin. 

“I was thinking gold walls, maybe,” he said, probably not breathing, he couldn’t quite tell, and Rose leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“I like it,” she said, and he clenched his jaw, a lump in his throat. 

“The crib could go here, then a bed when they grow out of it,” he said, pointing at the back wall. Rose’s tongue traced her lips and she nodded, too emotional now to speak. “Maybe a bookcase.” 

He pulled away from her to show her where he thought things should go, not quite rambling, as he was rather nervous for some reason, and he watched her carefully, waiting for approval before he moved on to the next idea. “A rug, large, so they can play on it.” 

She covered her mouth with her hand as she watched and listened, and he glanced up at the ceiling. “It’s probably a little too early to be planning all of this, but I could, if they wanted that is...well, I could project something up there. A nebula or... That sort of thing helped me sleep when I was young.” 

She looked up too, realizing she could picture it all, and she knew he had thought about this much more than he ever let on. The entire room was planned, and she reached for him, pulling him to her as he watched her face carefully, and she just took a deep breath. 

“You will be a fantastic father, Doctor,” she whispered. He looked down at his feet, unable to look at her as she said that, and she pulled him into a hug. 

“I...I want that to be true, Rose,” he said quietly, and her mind flashed back to memories of when he’d said those words to her in the past, under different circumstances, and she ran her hand along the small of his back. 

“I know it to be,” she murmured. He looked up, her conviction rendering him speechless, and she just smiled at him. “You said that before and things turned out pretty okay.” He smiled a little and she kissed him. “Let’s go shopping, yeah?” 

“Now?” he asked, “Thought we were going to see Jack and Mickey.”

“We will. Tomorrow. I don’t want to worry about timelines or prophecies today. I want to pick out toys and maybe paint the walls,” she whispered. He stared at her, a lump in his throat again. 

“That TARDIS could paint them for us,” he said, and she just made a face, her tongue in his favorite spot. 

“I know. But I want to do it,” she said. “She’ll understand, won’t you Old Girl?” 

They could both hear the ship hum in their heads and he laughed a little. 

“Okay,” he said, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that had happily replaced the knot. “You want to go to Earth?” 

“Unless you know somewhere better,” she said smiling, and he cupped her face with his hands. 

“Do you want to see Jackie?” he whispered, and she looked down, biting her lip. 

“I…” she whispered. “Yeah, I think so.” 

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. “If you really want to wait to tell her about Rassilon, love, we can figure something out when she asks.” 

She closed her eyes, and he kissed her head, looking at the walls that will soon be gold. 

“Nursery first, please,” she said softly. “I don’t know what I’ll say until I say it.” 

“Quite right,” he said, cupping his hands to her cheek again. “Have you eaten?” 

“Yes,” she said, rolling her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her. “It wasn’t chips, don’t look at me like that!” 

“Was it a milkshake?” he asked, entirely serious and she just hit his arm. 

“Do I really have to tell you everything I eat?” she said, and he bit his cheek. 

“As your husband, no, do what you want. As your doctor, yes,” he said. It was flirtatious and she just rolled her eyes. 

“Which one are you now?” she asked. 

“Doctor,” he said. 

“Yogurt with berries and some oatmeal,” she hummed. 

“Really?” he asked, smiling at her, and she bit her lip. He made a happy sound and leaned in, but she stopped him. 

“None of that, doctor. What would my husband say?” she asked, stepping a little closer to him anyway. He felt a pulse in his groin at the seductive tone in her voice and he swallowed, enjoying whatever game this was too much to cave yet. 

“Oh, yes. Right. Very good, Rose Tyler,” he murmured, and she tilted her head to the side. 

“I took my vitamin, too,” she said, and he clicked his tongue against his teeth.

“Good,” he said, “We should run another test soon. Make sure everything is as it should be.” 

“Do I get another physical exam?” she whispered, and he smiled at her. 

“Have to ask your husband, but I think he’ll agree it’s necessary,” he said, and Rose made a small noise, sending more pulses straight to his groin. “Can I kiss you now?”

“Please,” she said breathlessly, and he immediately had her pinned to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, his mouth dancing with hers, electric heat coursing through their entire bodies. 

She didn’t realize she was doing it, but she threw his henley on the ground, happy he wasn’t wearing his full suit at the moment and he responded by taking his undershirt off of her. She gasped as their bodies touched, and then made a muffled noise as he kissed her again, leading her back out of the room. 

“Can’t do this in there, that’s weird, right?” he asked, and she nodded. 

“Yeah,” she said. “Hallway’s good, though.” 

“Our bedroom is in front of us,” he said, his lips on her neck, she screamed a little when his tongue met her collarbone, and he just shook his head. “You’re right. Hallway is better. Love the hallway.” 

“Yeah,” she panted, and they continued to peel each other out of their clothing, leaving them scattered around as she sank to her knees and pushed him against the wall. 

“Rose -” he began to say, but she slipped her mouth over him and he clenched his fist, moaning a curse word in Gallifreyan. She moved skillfully, and before he completely combusted she pulled away and locked her eyes with his, and he pulled her up to him, their mouths meeting again. 

He returned the flavor for a moment, his fingers circling as she tilted her head back, but he ultimately laid her down, the TARDIS conveniently adding a soft rug so her back wasn’t cold, and he melted their bodies together, breathing heavily. She clutched his hips, guiding him exactly how she wanted him, and he whimpered a little. 

“I love you,” she said into his ear, and his body shook at the sensation. He kissed her slowly, his mouth matching his pace elsewhere as she moaned, and he let his mind find hers, connecting and wrapping them up in a warm embrace, slowly adding to every sensation.

A flash of a potential timeline hit them both, holding hands under a bright orange sky. 

“Rose…” he whispered, and she arched into him. 

He was reminded, as her hands laced themselves in his hair, of how surreal this all was. Seemingly still so impossible and wonderful and fantastic, that somehow he got so lucky as to be able to experience this joy; this sensation; the way it feels to know that his entire world was cradled in his arms where he knew she was safe, and his mother’s words from so long ago gripped his hearts.

 _You made the right choice._

None of this, he knew, would have happened if not for that single moment in time. The fixed point that led them to forever. 

He heard a crash of waves as they both remembered, and she kissed him hard. 

He found himself, after a few more minutes of passion, chanting her name while she screamed, the connection bleeding into all of their senses and taking them over the edge together. 

He rolled onto the rug next to her, and she was smiling, a fact that made his hearts skip a beat. 

“Hello,” he said. She just laughed. 

“Hello.” 

They both grinned at each other, and she leaned in to kiss him one more time before she stood up and held out her hand. He followed her, and she placed his hand on her belly. “Thank you.” 

“What?” he asked, and she just looked at him, the gold light in the hallway spilling onto her cheeks. 

“For coming back for me,” she whispered. “Can’t remember if I ever...We were just so happy to be together again and the last couple of years have been really busy and I..I just...I want to make sure that…” 

“Rose,” he said. “What are you doing?” 

“Thanking you,” she said, and he just stared at her. 

“Is this because of the family thing?” he asked. She shook her head. 

“No,” she whispered. “I just want to thank you. Don’t freak out.” 

He laughed a little as she smiled, “Best choice I’ve ever made.” 

He hugged her, kissing her head, and he rubbed her naked back slowly, sending a wave of reassurance to her in his mind just in case she was still worried about their conversation from the night before. She made a small sound and clung to him, and he closed his eyes, both letting the sound of their heartbeats carry them away for a moment. 

“What was it you called us before? An epic love story?” he murmured. She smiled, pulling away but leaving her arms wrapped around him and she nodded. “A princess and a traveler.” 

“A wolf and a storm,” she said. 

“Lewis and Clarke,” he added. 

“You never said you were Clarke,” she said, and he just shrugged. 

“Thought it was implied,” he teased. 

Neither said Shiver and Shake, and they didn’t need to ask why. 

“Come on, my love. Time to go shopping,” he said, smiling.


	2. A Bit of Destiny

A couple of warm showers later, Rose was in the console room in her favorite pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and he came bounding in with slightly damp hair, ruffling it with his hands. She stared at him, a small smile curling on her lips. 

“What are you…” she said, and he just looked at her. 

“We’re painting today,” he said. “Can’t wear my suit for that.” 

She bit her lip, her eyes tracing the black v-neck and snug blue jeans that he paired with his favorite chucks, and he raised an eyebrow at her, a prideful grin on his face. “Ha! You like it.” 

“Shut up,” she said, and he beamed at her. She watched as he walked over to the controls and punched in some coordinates, and pulled the lever. The gentle spin of time under their feet halted, and he grabbed her hand, leading her to the door. 

“Allons-y, Rose Tyler,” he said with a gleam in his eye, and they pushed the door open to London, 2010. 

They would go see Jackie later, they decided, and they started by holding hands and walking down the street, smiling and laughing a little. It felt good to be home, Rose thought, and she knew that for the Doctor, this era had become home as well in many ways, and she bounced on her feet when he grabbed them some 99’s, sensing her craving for one before she had a chance to say it out loud, and led her down the sidewalk toward a toy store. 

The bell jingled when they opened the front door, and Rose realized she had never been there before, despite having passed it on the street countless times. It was two stories tall and had hardwood floors with a large open floor plan, and she smiled as she looked up, where oversized model airplanes were hooked to the ceiling above their heads. 

The entire interior was wood, and it felt like it belonged in a Christmas film. It smelled of new books with a hint of cedar, and there were toys of all sorts lining every wall, colorful and imaginative and exciting, and kids were running around showing their parents things they had found. The sound of laughter filled the air and the Doctor watched, sniffing and kissing Rose’s head before he walked forward, the ice cream still in his hand. 

Rose saw the cashier, an older man with round spectacles and jet black hair reading a book, and he didn’t glance up at her when she walked into the main part of the first floor, joining the Doctor who was looking at a set of building blocks. 

“What do these even do?” he asked. “We had nothing like this on Gallifrey.” 

“What sort of toys did you have?” Rose asked, looking at a stuffed dog. He shrugged. 

“Clocks, mostly,” he said. She looked at him, putting the dog back down. 

“Oh, we should fix yours,” she said softly. “Give it to them, if you want.” 

He stared at her, and for a moment she thought he was about to deflect, but he broke out into a wide smile and made a happy sound. “I’d like that.” 

She smiled back at him and looked at the blocks. “They’re supposed to help with memory, I think. Math, science. That sort of thing.” 

“Science?” he asked, and Rose bit her lip. 

“Yeah, you know, they stack all the blocks up and then knock them down. Learn about gravity,” she said. 

He stared at her, finding her positively adorable and he turned his attention back to the blocks. “Gravity, right.” 

“Don’t laugh at me,” she said, smiling, and he just bit his cheek, desperately trying not to. She grabbed the box, showing him the uses listed on the label. “See? Right there!” 

He pulled out his glasses from his pocket, the ones she knew he only wears to drive her crazy half the time and she just shook her head at him, banter and love hovering around them as he took the box from her. “Alright.” 

“Yeah?” she said. “You’re not going to make fun of it?” 

He shook his head. “Could be useful.” 

“Are you buying it?” she asked, laughing. He just looked at her. 

“Could be useful,” he said again, this time with a small grin, and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and walking with him to another part of the store. 

They passed puzzles, which the Doctor started to ramble about, and found the section with DVDs and audiobooks. He frowned at those, telling her about how young Time Lord brains need much more stimulus than a movie about a giraffe and she glared at him. 

“What? he asked. Their ice cream was long gone by now but he still had a bit of chocolate flake on the corner of his mouth and she wiped it away. 

“You’re being rude,” she whispered. “People can hear you, insulting their brains.” 

“No one knows what I’m talking about,” he said, winking at her. “Wanna go upstairs?” 

She smiled and followed him, still pointing out various toys, and she wasn’t surprised at all when he dropped her hand and walked over to a robot sitting on a display stand. “Oh, this is beautiful!” 

She laughed a little and stood beside him. “Yeah? Not rubbish?” 

He shook his head, scanning it, and she bit her lip while she smiled, so in love with him it was knocking the wind out of her for a moment. It was a fairly large bot for a kid’s toy, she thought, about two and half feet tall, shaped like a teddy bear, and all of its wires and gears were visible through the plastic on the outside. He was captivated, walking in a circle around the robot and Rose looked at the label. 

“Meet Max,” she said, reading out loud. “He’ll be your best friend and tutor all in one.” She flashed him her deductive smile and he hummed a little as she continued to read. “New from Brain Guru Inc, the leading provider for children’s entertainment, this special friend can help your little one learn everything from their ABCs to writing their name and more.” 

The Doctor shook his head. “It’s truly flawless.” 

“How’s it work?” she asked. 

“I’d have to play with it to know for sure, but the design is gorgeous,” he said. Rose smirked. 

“You two want a moment alone?” she asked, and he just flashed her a look. 

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he mused and she just leaned against the table. 

“A little, yeah,” she said, and their eyes flirted and danced with each other, and she just laughed. “We could get one for Tony.” 

“Really?” he asked. She nodded. 

“I’m sure he’d let you play with it, too,” she said and he just rolled his eyes, grabbing one of the boxes from below the display shelf despite his effort for flippancy and tucked it under his arm along with the blocks. 

“Alright, Rose Tyler. One more toy for our little prune, and we’ll go paint the room,” he said. 

“Thought they were a grape?” she asked, and he just smiled at her. 

“It’s been a few days, they’re growing fast. I’ll show you later, yeah?” he murmured, and she just smiled, leaning it to kiss him. 

“I love you,” she whispered. 

“I love you, too,” he said. 

They explored the top floor for a little while longer, and Rose bit her lip, hiding a toy behind her back while he was pursuing a bookshelf. “Doctor?” 

He turned, smiling when he saw the sheepish look on her face. “What?” 

“Tell me if this makes you feel weird,” she said. “Or...anxious or worried or…” 

“Rose,” he said, and she just let her tongue trail her lips, holding a beautiful soft stuffed wolf toy from behind her back. He stared at it. 

“I know whatever is going on with these diamonds might...I dunno, I just saw this and it just felt like….” she began, breaking off. He didn’t say anything and she sighed. “I know you were worried this morning, a little bit, even though you tried to hide it. I know we don’t know what is going on and it’s frustrating, but...Doctor, my gut is still telling me that our baby ‘howling’ isn’t a bad thing. They’ll just take after me, maybe. That all of this is to protect them in some way.” 

His eyes shifted from the toy to her, and she continued. “Forget it. It’s probably not a good idea, not until we know more. Might just remind us and make us worry or get ahead of ourselves, right? I’ll…” 

She went to put it back, but he grabbed her hand, turning her to face him. “I wasn’t worried about that.” 

She watched him look back down at the wolf toy and take it from her, breathing in deeply before he let it out. “It’s not our child I’m worried about. They’re going to be fantastic. And we said it before...some impossible things are to be expected.” 

“Then what?” she whispered, pulling him to her. He sighed. 

“I don’t know,” he murmured. “But it’s not us. It’s not you. I believe in you. And I believe in our child, Rose, I mean that.” 

“You don’t know what you were worried about?” she asked quietly, not quite believing him. He just shook his head. 

“I s’pose...I don’t know. I feel like I’m missing something. Something obvious, staring me in the face and I can’t see it,” he said. “I really just want to solve this and move on.” 

She was counting all the freckles on his face as he spoke, and she rubbed her lips together. “If there’s anything last year taught me, Doctor, is that we can’t rush destiny. That’s what this is, yeah? We’ll figure it out. I know we will.” 

He nodded, and brought the wolf toy up to his cheek, making it look at her. “I think this is cute.” 

“Yeah?” she asked, smiling a little. He just nodded. 

“Yeah, a cub for our cub,” he said, and he smiled genuinely at her. “I _really_ do hope they take after you.” 

Her eyes were swirling with his and she bit her lip. “I dunno. Big baby Time Lord brain sounds pretty great to me. Rambling to me in baby gibberish all around the TARDIS...” 

He laughed. 

“Come here,” he whispered, and he dropped the stuffed wolf and the boxes for a moment as he kissed her, his hands in her hair. Someone cleared their throat and they pulled away slowly to see a mother glaring at them with her three year old son, and Rose just rolled her eyes. “Uh-oh. Public indecency.” 

“Don’t care,” she said, pulling him into another long kiss and making him smile as they ignored the woman, who continued to clear her throat. 

“Excuse me, do you mind?” she eventually asked, and Rose pulled back from his lips with a ‘pop’. 

“Not at all,” she said. “Continue looking around.” 

He laughed again and looked down at his feet, falling more in love with her as he grabbed the boxes and the wolf, and winked at her. 

“Let’s get out of here, hm?” he asked, and she just bit her lip as the woman flashed her a dark glare. 

The man with the jet black hair was still reading his book but he glanced up when he felt them approach. “You find everything alright?” 

“Oh, yes,” the Doctor said. “Thank you.” 

He just nodded and scanned the wolf, then the boxes, and he chuckled when he saw the robot. “How old is your little one?” 

“Oh, this is for my nephew,” the Doctor said. He nodded, and Rose bit her lip. 

“I’m pregnant, though,” she said, and the man looked at her. “Sorry. You’re a stranger. But we’re telling my mum today so…” 

He laughed and put all the items in a bag. “Well, congratulations to both of you. Sure she’ll be thrilled.” 

“Me too,” the Doctor said, taking the bag and winking at Rose. “Have a good day.” 

“Likewise,” he said, nodding as he returned to his book, and the Doctor slipped his hand into Rose’s, walking back slowly to the TARDIS. 

The hustle and bustle of the city was as vibrant as ever, especially during lunchtime, which Rose quickly realized it was. She took it all in happily as the Doctor crossed the street with her, and they reached the TARDIS after a few minutes, heading to the empty room. 

He set the bag on the ground and looked around, sniffing. Rose wrapped her arms around him from behind, and he leaned his body against hers for a moment. “It’s larger than I remember.” 

They both laughed when they realized he basically said the room was ‘bigger on the inside’. It was a hearty cackle that made Rose grip the wall to try and catch her breath, and he shook his head, grinning like an idiot. “That’s not what I meant!” 

They laughed more, and he eventually snatched her in a kiss, silencing the room. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you, too,” she said, wiping the tears the laughter caused from her eyes. “We don’t have any paint.” 

He just gave her a look, and she turned back into the middle of the room, where the TARDIS had provided a large can of gold paint, a tray to put it all in, and some brushes and rollers. She smiled. 

“From a hardware store. I picked it up a while back,” he said. 

“For this?” she asked. He just shrugged. 

“Maybe,” he said, and she bit her lip. 

He made them lunch before they got started, and they laughed some more, giggling about nothing as they bounded toward the room again, and before they could really process it, they were standing next to each other with a brush in each of their hands, creating a portrait of sparkling gold as vibrant as the light inside of Rose. 

“It’s pretty,” she said, looking at him. He beamed at her and continued to paint, and he was lost in thought. They didn’t say anything for a bit, they just let their brushes slide along the walls, covering the largest two completely. After nearly an hour Rose stopped.

“Oh, my God…” she whispered. 

“What?” he asked. He was working on the third wall, painting the last little patch and he looked over at her. Her roller was at her side, gold paint trailing down the side of her jeans. “Love, your -”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, locking her eyes with his. 

“Tell you what?” he asked. She bit her lip and he furrowed his brow. “What? What’d I miss?” 

“Doctor...the paint,” she said. He looked at the wall he had just covered, and he stared for a moment, until he saw it too, and he felt his head spin. 

Time. 

Small, very very small flashes of light were pulsing on the pigment, creating the sparkle effect he had seen when they first began their task. He looked over at Rose, no longer breathing, and she was smiling at him. “You didn’t do this?” 

He dropped the roller on the floor, not caring about the mess he made and he moved to the tray they had poured all the paint into, scanning it. 

“What?” he whispered, and she walked over to him, setting her own roller down carefully. 

“Is it…” she began. He nodded. 

“It’s from home,” he murmured. “That shouldn’t be possible. I never…” 

Rose bit her lip. “Think your family may have seen this timeline, too?” 

He didn’t say anything, but he looked up at her, stunned. 

She wasn’t Time Lady...but she basically was. 

His Adam’s apple was bobbing a few times and she bit her lip again, looking around at the nearly painted room. “Do you want to take a break?” 

He was still stunned, staring at the paint and he just shook his head. “No. I want to show you something.” 

He couldn’t believe he didn’t see it. He was angry with himself, a little, but it was short lived, as he was too unbelievably stunned and..well…

He grabbed his roller brush and finished the wall he had been painting, and he looked at Rose. “Do you mind if the TARDIS does the last one?” 

She shook her head, and he moved the tray to an orb, pouring it inside. She watched as it began to glow a little, changing the color of the wall to match the same time-filled paint that they had done themselves, and he sighed. “Okay. Ready?” 

She nodded and he flipped off the light. 

The entire cosmos, every galaxy, every star, every planet; they all began to swirl into place along the walls. It looked very similar to how it did in the telescope, and the pulse of time, the way it is under their feet in the console room reverberated around them, and he was watching her as it all unfolded, forever thinking the universe was meant to be seen by her eyes when he took in the awe on her face. 

She stayed sitting on the ground, having forgotten to breathe for a moment, and he swallowed hard. “This is what I meant. Before. When I said...I just didn’t think I could make all of this, I thought the paint...I thought it would be from Earth so I just said...” 

He cleared his throat and she looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “Doctor…” 

He was trying not to cry, she could tell, and he was clenching his jaw. “It’s um…” 

She managed to stand, somehow, and she pulled him to her in a tight hug. She was looking at all the stars and he was relying on his respiratory bypass, his main goal not to break down. He pulled away after a moment, and glanced up, where he saw the wolf constellation Rose had discovered sitting between two asteroids, directly above where he thought the crib would go. 

Destiny. 

He knew time, and this was a sign, he was sure of it. A note from the universe telling him that Rose’s instincts were right; that he was right not to overthink; telling him that their child howling was not a bad thing. 

Reminding him that Bad Wolf acts with love. 

All of this was happening exactly how it was designed to. He felt his insecurities from before go away, replaced with hope; a deep, committed sense of it that was gripping his hearts, and he let out a breath. 

“We’re finishing what we started all right,” he murmured, and she glanced up, seeing what he was looking at. 

“Look at that,” she whispered, smiling. He pulled her to him, hugging her, and for the first time since he turned off the lights he closed his eyes. 

He was feeling a lot of things at the moment and he didn’t have the words to describe any of it, and Rose could sense it all. She pulled away to kiss him, and he rubbed his thumb under her belly button. She smiled and kissed his shoulder, and he pulled away. “I want to...” 

“Me too,” she said, and he slipped his hand into hers and performed another ultrasound in the infirmary, smiling, and this time Rose knew where to look. 

They heard the double “whoosh” of the heartbeat, and the Doctor laughed when he saw webbed hands and feet, still quite small, but it all made Rose’s head spin. 

He took a picture and printed out two copies. One for the console, and one for Jackie. 

“We can go now or we can wait a bit still,” he said. “Up to you.” 

“We should go,” she said. She was nervous, and he planted small kisses on her still exposed stomach, then trailed dizzying pecks up to her lips. “Just...can we arrive just a couple weeks after we left? I don’t want her to think we forgot.” 

“Sure,” he said, rubbing her hand. “You ready?” 

“Yes,” she said. “I’ll have some ice ready for you just in case.” 

He chuckled and helped her off the metal bed, and he let her take control of the console, sensing it might help her nerves a little. He watched with his cheek in his hand, quite proud of her as she pulled the lever, and the gentle hum of the TARDIS echoed in the Tyler’s backyard.


	3. Little Gestures

“Allons-y,” they both said, and they stepped off the ship to Tony’s squeals, who the Doctor picked up and spun around like usual. 

Pete was there this time, work not as busy this week, and he was following Jackie across the yard. 

“Oh, sweetheart!” Jackie shouted, pulling her into a hug. “Hello!”

“Hello, Mum,” she said, kissing her cheek. 

“You didn’t call and tell me you were coming, I would have had -” she said, and Rose just shook her head. 

“Nah, don’t worry about us. We ate just a little while ago,” she said. Jackie just sighed and looked her over, and she glanced at the Doctor. 

“What the hell are you wearing?” she asked, and he just smiled, moving to hug her. 

“Hello to you too, Jackie,” he said. Pete waved to them and Rose smiled, still trying to turn that new leaf, and hugged him as well. 

“Rose!!” Tony shouted, reaching for her. She pulled away from Pete and knelt down to hug Tony, and Jackie was still staring at the Doctor. 

“What?” he asked. She just shook her head. 

“You have...paint in your hair,” she said. “And Rose, it’s all over your pants.” 

“We were painting,” the Doctor said plainly, and Rose bit her lip at the look her mother gave him. 

“Oi, watch the sass. Why?” she asked. Rose and the Doctor looked at each other, and he let her take the lead. 

“Redecorating,” she said, not wanting to tell her this way. Jackie just looked at her and Rose stood back up away from Tony. “Mum, it’s just paint. It’s fine.” 

“Oh, sure, except it’s in his hair and he hasn’t freaked out yet,” she said. “What’s going on?” 

“Who says I wasn’t -” the Doctor started, and Rose just rolled her eyes when he began to swipe his hand through his hair, specks of paint falling to the ground. 

Rose sighed, kissing her cheek. “Let’s go inside. Make some tea.” 

The Doctor slipped back into the TARDIS to grab Tony his toy, and he waltzed into the living room a few minutes after everyone else. Rose still wasn’t showing, and he noticed she was trying to act as un-pregnant as possible when she had her legs pressed to her chest on the couch as she laughed with Jackie, and he watched for a moment. 

“Hey, Monster,” he whispered, and Tony looked up. “We got you this.” 

“What is it?” he asked. The Doctor shrugged. 

“A robot,” he said, and Tony took the box to Pete, who chuckled a little as he opened it up and handed his son the toy. 

“Thanks, mate. These have been selling like hotcakes lately. Ads are everywhere,” he said with a nod, and the Doctor just smiled, sitting in the chair across from the girls. 

“Oh, and then we ran into Jack at this oasis planet -” Rose said, giggling, and the Doctor groaned. 

“That’s not -” he said, and Rose just looked at him. 

“What? Was gonna say he had to hitch a ride,” she said, and he smirked at her. 

Jackie was listening to Rose’s stories with a smile, her hand touching her arm, and the Doctor just watched, sensing how badly Rose wanted to tell her everything, and knowing she felt like she couldn’t tell her just half of it, so she was staying silent. He put his blocks up, wanting to help, and Tony eventually brought him the robot. He sat on the floor with him as Pete turned the telly on, and for a moment, all felt quiet and domestic and blissful. 

They ordered pizza for dinner, and they ate in the dining room, the air light and carefree. Rose got sick, something about the cheese not sitting with her stomach but she excused herself just in time and without suspicion, and the Doctor kept his face neutral as he ate his slice. 

It killed him a little not to be able to check on her, but she walked out soon enough all smiles and wit, and she curled up on the couch as the Doctor was scanning Tony’s robot so it wouldn’t need batteries. 

“Doctor, he needs to learn to care for things,” Jackie said, and he looked at her. 

“What? I’m just -” he said, and she hit him on the back of the head, making Rose bite her lip and Tony giggle. 

“Fine,” he said, undoing his work and handing the robot to Tony. The little boy immediately began to play with it again, and they all smiled when his eyes widened, the robot ‘talking’ to him. 

“HELLO,” it said. “I AM MAX. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” 

“Tony!” he shouted. 

“NICE TO MEET YOU, TONY,” the robot said, and the Doctor just smirked. 

“How can it hear me?” Tony asked, and the Doctor sniffed. 

“It has a microphone. Here, see?” he said, and Tony smiled. 

“It can play?” Tony asked. 

“DO YOU KNOW THE ALPHABET?” it said. Tony’s brow furrowed, and the Doctor leaned against the couch, his hand rubbing Rose’s shin. 

“A, B, C, D…” Tony said, going all the way through ‘M’. 

Tony was having the time of his life talking to the robot who was helping him remember more letters and entertaining him for an hour until Pete picked him up, declaring it was bedtime. He began to cry, and Jackie just rolled her eyes. 

“Tony, knock it off. It’s bedtime, we’ve talked about this,” she said. It was loving but also just stern enough, and the Doctor smiled to himself, thinking about Rose telling their child to go to bed one day. Tony just pouted, and Pete looked at his wife, shaking his head. 

“Come on, T. You can play with it tomorrow,” he said. Tony began to wail, and reached for his robot. He was throwing an absolute tantrum, and the Doctor furrowed his brow. He’d seen Tony get upset before, but never quite like this. 

“You want a bedtime story, Tony?” Rose asked. His eyes lit up and the tears subsided. She shifted off the couch, squeezing the Doctor’s shoulder as she stood and carried her brother to bed. Pete sighed, collapsing onto his chair, and Jackie shook her head. 

“He’s been having fits lately,” she said. “He’ll grow out of it, of course, but…” 

“That was a new level, though,” Pete grumbled. 

The Doctor just looked at her. “You two alright?” 

Jackie nodded, and Pete closed his eyes. 

“Tired,” he said. “We’re really tired.” 

The Doctor didn’t say anything and Jackie just drank some tea. “I love him to bits, don’t think I don’t -”

“Why would I-” the Doctor began, and Jackie just glared at him, “I don’t think that, Jackie.” 

“Good, because he’s my son, and I would die for him, I would,” she said, and he just glanced at Pete, who shook his head at him, telling him not to comment. Jackie was _tired_ , and it was making her slightly irrational. 

The Doctor just looked at her, and he sat up. “Hey,” he said, ignoring Pete’s advice. “Look at me.” Jackie did, and he just smiled at her. “You don’t have to explain, alright? I’ve dealt with toddlers before.”

“You basically are one,” Jackie muttered, and the Doctor smirked. “It’s good to see you.” 

“You too,” he said. There were unspoken words in the air, and he sniffed, afraid she might persuade him into divulging something, and he feigned a yawn. “Mind if I head to bed? See you both tomorrow?” 

“Course not,” Pete said. “Night, Doctor.” 

“Come here, you,” Jackie said, hugging him tightly. “I missed you.” 

He felt his throat tighten a little, and he pulled away, smiling. “Missed you, too.” 

Rose came down the stairs then, standing in the archway just in time to watch her mother and husband have a rare sweet moment, and she bit her lip. “He’s asleep.” 

“Oh, bloody hell, thank you,” Pete exclaimed, and the Doctor bit his cheek as Jackie laughed a little. 

“Off to bed, both of you,” she said, and kissed Rose’s cheek. “Oh, and if you’re going to shag all night, keep it quiet, Doctor, you hear me? Tony doesn’t -” 

“Mum, leave him alone,” Rose said, rolling her eyes, and the Doctor groaned in embarrassment. Pete just acted like he didn’t hear her. 

“Love you,” Rose said, kissing her cheek. 

“I love you, sweetheart,” she said, and the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand, following her to the guest room. They closed the door and she let out a breath. 

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, and he just chuckled. 

“Oh, I saw that coming, trust me. No way she’s letting me live that down,” he said, and Rose bit her lip. 

“Not that,” she said. “Well, also that, I guess.” 

He just looked at her, and he pulled her to him, hugging her. “Rose, you should tell her when you’re ready. I’m not upset.” 

“I really, really want to tell her, but I…” she said, and she groaned, moving to sit on the bed, suddenly crying a little. She knew he understood the complexity of what she was feeling, and he sat next to her, his jaw clenched as she placed her head on his shoulder. “She’s…” 

“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing her arm. 

“Is this how you felt?” she whispered. He looked at her. 

“When?” he asked, and she fluttered her lips. 

“I look at her, Doctor...and I want to tell her everything, but all I can think about is how I’m going to watch her...and I’m going to stay...me…” she said. He swallowed. 

“Yes,” he whispered. 

Her eyes locked with his, and she just bit her lip. “And you still married me?” 

“Took me awhile, if you remember,” he murmured. “Rose, I’m sorry. I really am, I’m so sorry.” 

She fluttered her lips again, aware they were talking in circles at this point, and she just took a deep breath. He rubbed his hand on her knee. 

“A wise woman once told me…” he said, clearing his throat. “That it’s what you do with the time you have that matters.” 

“Your mother?” Rose asked, and he shook his head. 

“Aphrodite,” he whispered, and Rose bit her lip. “I took those words to my hearts, Rose, and I’ve kept them there. And I told myself that when...if I lost you again, that loving you, fully, completely and unreservedly while I had the chance...that it would keep me fighting after you’d…” she sniffed, and he cupped his hand to her cheek. “You are my reason to fight. And Jackie...She will always be one of your reasons, too. No matter what.” 

Rose stared at him for a moment as new tears spilled over, and she wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.” 

“I love you,” he said, kissing her head. 

“I love you, too,” she said. 

Neither said anything for a while, and Rose distracted herself with getting ready for bed. The Doctor slipped out of his clothes and threw on some pajamas they had in the drawers for whenever they visit, and he got an idea. 

He knew she was in the bath, and he made note of the time with his internal clock, rushing to the TARDIS and returning less than a minute after he’d left, back on the bed by the time Rose walked out of the ensuite. 

Sometimes, he’s quite good at time travel. 

She smiled when she saw him, and he sat up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she sat down on the bed. “You tired?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “Not sure I can sleep though.” 

“Look on the dresser,” he said. Rose glanced over, and she furrowed her brow, a green bag sitting in the middle. She moved to it, giving him a smile and she reached inside. Her smile fell, and she looked up at him. 

“When did you -” she whispered, and he sniffed. 

“Snuck out just now,” he said. “Custom shop! I thought...well...I know this part of our news is happy, so…”

She looked back down at a onesie that said “Not from Mars” and she nibbled on her lip. He took a deep breath, hoping he didn’t upset her and she put the onesie down so she could hug him. 

“It’s so cheesy,” she said through her tears, and he just laughed a little. 

“Yeah, well…” he said, and she pulled away, kissing him. It was a firm kiss, and she didn’t let him move very much, her hands cupping his cheeks tightly, and he just wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“It’s all happy news,” she said, sniffing. “It is. Of course it is. We have forever. It’s just...it’s complicated.” 

“Not familiar with that word,” he said, and she just laughed, pressing her forehead onto his chest. 

“That was really sweet, Doctor, thank you,” she said, and he winked at her. 

“Come on, you need some sleep, we can give it to her tomorrow, hm? Take it from there?” he said, rubbing her arm. She nodded, and she crawled into bed beside him. He waited, and he could tell she was restless. “Rose?” 

“Yeah?” she asked. 

“Can I help? In your mind?” he asked. She sighed. 

“Yes, please,” she whispered, and he shifted a little so he was hovering over her. 

“Goodnight, love,” he said. 

“Night, Doctor,” she whispered, trusting him completely as he placed his hand on her temple, and did what she had done for him on the night they conceived their child, guiding her mind to sleep gently and carefully. He dropped his touch the moment he knew it worked and kissed her forehead, and he tucked himself against her, letting himself fall asleep, too.


	4. Bad Robot

The next morning, the smell of coffee made Rose sick. The bacon. The eggs. 

Pretty much the entirety of breakfast. 

The Doctor was rather impressed with her ability to hide it. The smells all hit her one right after the other like a tidal wave and he immediately got up and distracted Jackie with a rambling story about the benefits of egg whites she didn’t ask for while Rose ran to the bathroom and hurled. 

She stopped by the TARDIS and took her medicine, and it helped her be able to sit through their meal, where Jackie was telling them about how Mickey comes by once a month to check on her and she still can’t believe he’s back, and Rose smiled. 

“That’s great, Mum. I’m glad,” Rose said, and Jackie just sighed. 

“You feeling alright?” Jackie said. “You’ve barely touched your plate.”

“Oh,” Rose said. “Yeah, ‘m fine. Just not hungry, really.”

Jackie looked at her, and Rose had a feeling she suspected something but wouldn’t ask. She looked at the Doctor, who was eating his food happily, and she just bit her lip. 

“We were thinking of visiting Mickey and Jack today, actually,” Rose said. “So we might leave this afternoon.” 

“You just got here,” Jackie said. Rose sighed, and the Doctor watched, staying out of it unless asked. 

“Maybe we can just...go tomorrow?” Rose said, looking at the Doctor. He nodded. 

“That’s fine,” he said. He nudged his mind to her. 

_What do you want to eat?_

_Vinegar._

He smirked at her, knowing what she meant, and he finished his food. 

_I’ll have a bowl waiting in the bedroom._

She smiled and rubbed her lips together as he kissed the top of her head and snuck out. Rose looked at Jackie, who was sipping her drink. 

“So...that’s all you two have been up to? Harpoon ships and oasis planets?” Jackie asked. Rose nodded. 

“Yeah,” she said. Jackie just looked at her and stood up, taking her plate to the sink. Pete came in and kissed her quickly, on the phone with his office. 

“I love you Jacks, I’ll be back soon. Have to run in for a quick meeting,” he said. He waved to Rose as he slipped out the door, and Jackie just sighed. 

“You alright, Mum?” Rose asked. Jackie nodded. 

“Oh, course I am, sweetheart,” she said. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you, too,” Rose said, and the Doctor came back in, sitting calmly at the table. He winked at her, and she tried to hide her smile. “I’ll be right back.” 

Jackie watched her leave, and the Doctor could feel her elation when she saw chips, potato crisps, and some pickled vegetables (because he was still determined to make sure she got some semblance of nutrients) on a plate, and she ate it quickly. 

He chuckled and felt his mother-in-law’s eyes on him as he sipped some coffee, and he glanced over at her. 

“What?” he asked. She shook her head. 

“Nothing,” she said. “Tony loves his robot, thank you for that.” 

“I’m glad,” he said, and he noticed he could hear him talking to it in the other room, engaged in a full conversation and he smiled. Jackie took a deep breath, her hand tracing the rim of her mug. 

“Why were you painting?” she finally asked, and the Doctor just looked at her. 

“What Rose said. Redecorating. I’ve been looking at that same color scheme on the TARDIS for two hundred years, decided to switch it up,” he said. Jackie just stared at him. 

“Oi, I’m not stupid. You could have done that whenever, but you came here before you had a chance to change. Why?” she asked. 

“We didn’t think about it. She was excited to see you,” the Doctor said, shrugging, then stood to refill his cup. He didn’t actually want more, coffee was something he mostly drank just for the hell of it as it, but Jackie was making him a little nervous and he couldn’t look at her. 

“Is she alright?” Jackie asked. “It’s not like her to not eat.” 

“Yes,” the Doctor said. “Jackie, I swear. She’s fine.” 

She nodded, wanting to ask more, and the Doctor had a feeling she might suspect something, too. “Good.” 

“Out of curiosity, what would have gone wrong that would cause us to paint?” he asked, deflecting a little, and Jackie glared at him. 

“I don’t bloody well know! You’re the alien, you tell me!” she said. 

“It’s your irrational fear, not mine,” he said, and he just smiled at her as she opened her mouth to speak, but Rose came down the stairs and joined them, rolling her eyes at both of them. 

“Tony is in love with Max,” she said. “Pretty sure you’re not the favorite toy anymore.” 

She smiled at the Doctor, teasing him, and he just laughed. 

“Give it time. He usually gives up on the toys I get him after a few hours,” the Doctor said. Rose just looked at him lovingly. 

“He’s older. Longer attention span,” Rose said. The Doctor just made a face at her, and she made one back. Jackie watched, still sipping her tea, and she shook her head, reminded that they make each other better. 

Marriage. 

“Where’s Pete?” he asked. 

“Stepped out, he’ll be back,” Jackie said, and the Doctor looked at Rose. 

_Do you want to wait till he’s here?_

_Sort of._

He just sniffed and kissed her, and she tried to help her mother clean, but she swatted her hand away and they both moved to Tony, the Doctor a little curious to watch him play. 

They stood in the archway to his playroom and held hands. Tony was engaged in a full conversation, and Rose laughed at some of the silly questions he was asking the robot, things about its favorite food or favorite movie. 

To her surprise, the robot had an answer. “Brain Food Snacks from Brain Guru Inc.” and a film called “Mighty Max,” a new short produced by Brain Guru Inc starring the robot. The Doctor smirked. 

“Clever,” he said. 

“Hey, they gotta upsell somehow,” she teased, and he chuckled. 

“Are you feeling alright?” he whispered. She nodded. 

“Yeah, medicine helped,” she murmured. “I have a new symptom, I discovered.” 

“Oh?” he asked, looking at her. She nodded. 

“I’m...cramping a little,” she said. “That’s normal, though, right?” 

“Should be,” he said. “Can I take a look?” 

She nodded and kept her hand in his as they made their way to the TARDIS, and everything checked out. He let out a small breath and hugged her, and he decided to run a blood test, too, just to be safe. 

“All good,” he said. “Really good, actually.” 

“You sound surprised,” she said. 

“No,” he murmured. “I just...I’m happy.” 

He looked at her, and she was rubbing her hand along her abdomen, staring at the ceiling. He put the paper with the results down and moved to her, helping her sit up. 

“Can I ask you something? I don’t want you to worry,” he said. She just looked at him. 

“Was Mum being weird with you, too?” she asked. He sighed. 

“Well, not any weirder than usual, but…” he said, and Rose just smiled at him. “She might suspect.” 

“I think so, too,” she said, rolling her eyes. The Doctor kissed her forehead. “Oh, also, those gherkins were amazing.” 

“Yeah?” he asked, smiling a little at her. 

“Mhm,” she said. “I want an entire jar. Can we do that?” 

“Of course,” he said, kissing her. She hummed a little, and he brushed his hand across her stomach, desire beginning to course through him that he was trying to push down, knowing they didn’t have time. 

“Doctor,” she moaned, apparently thinking the same thing, and he clenched his jaw. 

“Oh, you can’t say my name like that,” he whispered, kissing her neck. “We should get back before she bangs on the door.” 

He was licking her clavicle despite his words, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. 

“What happens if I don’t stop?” she said. 

She said his name in the exact same way, throaty and breathy, but this time in Gallifreyan. 

“Minx,” he said, and he rolled his hips against her. His bottoms weren’t hiding his need, and she bit her lip. 

“We can go fast,” she whined, and that thought made him clench his jaw as he pulled her clothing off of her and somehow discarded his pants, sliding into her against the metal table. 

“Better?” he moaned, and she just nodded, gripping his shoulders as they made hot, rather loud, frantic love against the cold metal. She leaned back a little, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her as her face showed him what he was doing to her, and he cried out the moment all their other senses and connections fell into place. 

It didn’t last very long, but neither cared. They just caught each other in a searing kiss as they came back down, and he chuckled when she collapsed against the table again. 

“That felt good,” she said, and he just laughed. 

“Oh, yes,” he said. “Come on, we really should get back.” 

They cleaned up and changed, and they sensed the moment they walked back into the house Jackie had noticed they stepped out, but she chose to ignore it and was on the phone with a friend while she watched Tony play more with his robot. Rose nibbled on her lip, realizing he had been up for a few hours and had been talking non-stop, and she grabbed some apple juice for him. “Here you go.” 

“I want Brain Juice,” he said. “That’s what Max likes.” 

Rose smiled. “Sorry, T-bird. We don’t have that. But apple juice is your favorite.” 

“NO!” Tony said, “ I WANT BRAIN JUICE!” 

Rose stared at him and Jackie stopped her conversation immediately and hung up her phone. “What are you doing? That’s not nice, Tony. We don’t yell at people.” 

“I WANT BRAIN JUICE!” he shouted, and Rose looked down at the robot. 

“Should I take this, Mum?” Rose asked. Jackie nodded while Tony had another meltdown, and the Doctor felt his stomach twist. 

“That’s not like him,” he murmured. Rose sighed, picking up Max while Jackie took Tony out of the room. 

“Kids change, I guess,” she said. “Next month he might hate this thing. Who knows.” 

“You don’t feel weird about it?” he asked. Rose just looked at him. 

“I do, but it also seems to me like his favorite Uncle gave him a toy he loves and he’s doing what kids do and getting attached,” she said. “I wore a Little Mermaid dress for four weeks straight because Mum couldn’t take it off of me without me screaming.” 

They could still hear Tony crying, and Rose rubbed her lips together. 

“He was fine before I gave it to him,” the Doctor said. “Your mother said he’s been having some fits, but Pete said they were nothing like this.” 

Rose kissed his cheek. “You’re sweet, you know that?” 

“Rose, I’m serious. I have a weird feeling,” he said. “Instincts?” 

“Are...” she said, and she sighed. “Honestly a little jumbled. I’m too distracted. But he’s probably just being a kid.” 

She slid her hand into his and walked into the kitchen, where Jackie was trying to talk to Tony and get him to stop without snapping at him, and Rose pulled out her sonic screwdriver, deactivating it.

“Max is going to take a nap, but you can play with this,” Rose said. 

“I don’t want it!” he said, and Rose knelt down to look at him. She glanced at the Doctor, whose face was lined in concern and he sniffed, leaving the room with the robot in his hand. 

Rose bit her lip and looked up at Tony, deciding to push a little. Her Instincts may be a complete distracted mess at the moment, but she trusted the Doctor, and his face alarmed her. “T-bird. Remember your knights and princess toys? Do you want to play with those?” 

“NO!” he shouted, and Jackie groaned. “MAX!”

“Tony, stop it, sweetheart. It’s Rose, she just wants to play with you,” she said. 

Tony broke down, and tried to push Rose away. Her eyes met the Doctor’s. 

_I think you’re right. This is more than just a tantrum._

He clenched his jaw, and spoke quietly. “Jackie, can I talk to you?” 

Jackie’s face paled and she stood up, moving to the Doctor. “What’s going on?” 

“You said he’s been throwing fits. How long?” he asked. 

“About two weeks,” she said. “Why?” 

“How long have the ads for this toy been running? The ones Pete was talking about?” he murmured, holding up the robot. Rose, who was still sitting by Tony, glanced over. Jackie just shook her head. 

“About...about two weeks,” she whispered. 

The Doctor sniffed, and his eyes met Rose’s. 

_I need you._

Rose kissed Tony’s head who was still crying and walked over to the Doctor. His entire face was stone cold and calculated. 

“What’s wrong?” she whispered. 

“I found this,” he said, holding up what looked like a microchip. “I had to take the robot apart, and it was tucked inside the main power source. It was brilliantly crafted. Truly, professional, top notch -”

“Doctor,” Jackie snapped, and he sighed. 

“My screwdriver didn’t even know it was there. But it’s a memory chip,” he whispered. 

“Is that how it remembered his name? Heard it through the microphone and stored it there?” Rose asked. He shook his head. 

“No, it's...” he muttered. “Jackie, can I scan him?” 

“Yes, go, of course, just stop this,” she said, and the Doctor squeezed her arm as he moved to Tony. 

“Hey, Monster,” he said. “I’m gonna play a new game. Wanna pretend to be an alien?” 

“I WANT MAX!” he shouted, and the Doctor sighed. 

“I know. Max isn’t playing right now. But I want to scan you. It’ll be fun, like how me and Rose play with aliens, hm?” he asked, holding up his sonic screwdriver. Tony stared at him, and the Doctor did it quickly, deducting. 

“High five,” he said, and Tony gave him one as he finished, still sniffling a little, and he moved back to Rose. 

“I need to test this on the TARDIS,” he said. 

“I want to come with you,” Jackie said, but the Doctor shook his head. 

“If I’m right, he needs to stay away. Just keep him in here, I’m sorry,” he said. Rose saw the anguish on his face, and she knew he was blaming himself for bringing the toy into the house in the first place. Jackie looked terrified and he grabbed her hand. “Look at me. He’ll be alright. I’ll fix it. I promise.” 

“Thank you,” she whispered, and the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand as they walked back out to the TARDIS. 

“What are you thinking?” she asked. He opened the door and sighed. 

“I’m an idiot,” he said. 

“Doctor,” Rose said. “Don’t do that.” 

He clenched his jaw and walked to the lab, examining the memory chip carefully, with more scanners and advanced technology than what he had on his screwdriver. He ran his hand over his face. 

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “Absolutely bloody unbelievable.” 

He slammed his hand on the desk, and Rose watched him, her heart beating against her chest. 

“Is he okay?” she asked. He sighed and nodded. 

“He will be. I’ll make sure of it,” he said. His voice was dark, and Rose moved to him, resting her back against the table. 

“Then what’s wrong?” she asked. 

“It’s my fault,” he said. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” 

“Doctor, what is it?” she asked, a little more firmly. He looked at her, the beginnings of the Oncoming Storm peeking through. 

“Children’s brains are pliable. Easily persuaded. Their brainwaves operate at a different frequency than ours and that makes it...This memory chip is designed to be compatible with the brains of most 3 -5 year olds,” he said. 

“Oh my god, so it’s, what, corrupting his brain?” she asked, mortified. 

“No,” he said quickly, “Rose, no. But...It’s propaganda. Feeding him information. Making him crave certain things. Things ‘Max’ wants.” 

“Why?” Rose asked. He just looked at her, his eyes dark. It dawned on her too, and she shook her head in shock. “They have to upsell somehow.”

“Think your Instincts were more awake than you realized,” he muttered. “Power and money. Always about….” 

He made an angry noise and slammed his hand again, and Rose jumped a little. 

“That’s barbaric,” Rose said. He just clenched his jaw. “Doctor, this isn’t killing him is it?” 

“No,” he said. “I would be banging on their bloody doors and knocking out every... It just seems to be a really pathetic marketing scheme.” 

He was yelling, quite angry, and she didn’t try to talk him down. She was angry, too, and she watched as his jaw clenched harder than usual as he pulled away, and felt the guilt start to trickle in. She grabbed his hand. “How do the advertisements come into play?” Rose asked, sick to her stomach. He shook his head. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’d have to watch one. But if he was himself until he started watching them, then my guess is there is some code in the broadcast. Something that plants the idea in the child’s mind that they want the toy, then they won’t stop asking until the parent ends up getting them one. Then...this…”

“Gets them to buy more and more of their products…” Rose murmured, and she sighed. 

He almost cursed. He rarely did that, but he was just that angry. 

“Can we undo it?” she whispered. He nodded. 

“Yes,” he whispered. A moment passed, and he knocked his equipment off the table and began to pace, and Rose reached for him. 

“Come here,” she said. 

“It’s Tony, Rose…” he said, and this time his voice was cracking a little, and she felt her heart break. “I did this.” 

“No,” she said. “We bought it. Together. How could we have known?” 

“It’s brainwashing him,” he said. “He’s going to go through withdrawals. It’ll be painful. As his brain rewires itself. Headaches...” 

He ran his hand over his face and she could feel his increasing rage, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop his storm now. 

“You could help him,” she whispered. “You did that in Alaska.” 

“That was different,” he muttered. “Those people were suspended in time, their brains wouldn’t work without assistance. I...I can’t…He’s too young. Too susceptible.” 

“What do you want to do, then? Storm Brain Guru? Deactivate every robot?” she said, trying to keep him on track. He was tense, and he took a deep breath to try and center himself. 

“Every child who has one of these things is going to be in pain,” he whispered. 

“The alternative is to let them be brainwashed and that isn’t going to happen,” she said. “How long will it take the brain to work itself out?” 

“Depends on how long they’ve had the toy,” he muttered. “Up to two days, probably, for kids who've had it awhile. A few hours for Tony.” 

“Then we’ll stay and keep an eye on him, yeah?” she said. “We can sleep in his room. Help him through it. Mum will need us, too.” The Doctor closed his eyes, swallowing. She watched his Adam’s apple bob, and she cupped her hand to his cheek. “Look at me.” 

He did, hazel galaxies swimming in chocolate, and she began to rub her thumb along his cheekbone. “If it was our child, what would you do?” 

“I’d wipe the memory chips out,” he said without hesitation, and he sighed, realizing what she was doing. “And make sure they can’t do it again.” 

In some ways it felt eerily similar to the Sidekick 2.0 nearly a hundred years before, and they were reminded that technology doesn't change, it evolves. She just nodded. “Then let’s do that.” 

He sniffed and took a deep breath. “Okay.” 

His stomach was tight and in a complete knot again as they walked to the console room, and he inserted the chip into a slot, pressing a few buttons and finding the frequencies across the planet. It was deja vu for both of them as he performed a massive sweep, deactivating the chips permanently, and he sighed, knowing that while all the robots would no longer work, even the ones still sitting in their boxes or in the factories, he just subjected thousands of children to horrific headaches, and Rose wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“They’ll be okay,” she said. “That’s all that matters. You saved them. All of them.” 

He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. “Tony --” 

He jumped up and ran out of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Tony is okay!


	5. Bright Stars

He burst into the kitchen to see Tony screaming and gripping his head. 

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!” 

Jackie’s voice was shrill and she was livid, and the Doctor ignored her as he ran to Tony’s side. Rose held her mother back, comforting her, and the Doctor cupped his cheeks to Tony’s face. 

“Hey, Monster, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know,” he said. Tony was crying, and the Doctor picked him up and held him. 

“Mum, stop, let him help him,” Rose said. “Mum, look at me.” 

Jackie did, and Rose gave her a reassuring smile, infectious like always, stopping her tears. 

The Doctor was bouncing Tony and hugging him, and he knew he’d tire himself out and fall asleep. He wished desperately he could help him get there faster, but he refused to touch his mind, not after all he’d just been through and he just looked at Jackie. 

“The chip was affecting his brain,” he said. “I deactivated it. But he’s going to have a pretty awful headache for a bit.”

He sounded much more controlled than he was feeling. 

“He’s okay?” she asked, and the Doctor nodded. Jackie moved to him and the Doctor handed Tony to her. He was still crying, and Rose’s hand fell to her stomach as she watched, her own tears threatening to fall from relief. 

“I’m so sorry,” the Doctor said. “I gave it to him. Jackie….” 

“Not now!” she snapped. 

He nodded and Jackie started to sing. The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, and Rose saw him blink a few times, then walk out of the room quickly. 

“You alright?” she asked her mother, who just nodded as Tony cried. 

She found him in the downstairs loo, slumped onto the floor. His back was pressed against the wall and his eyes were closed, and she closed the door, sitting across from him. 

“You’re the only one who could’ve figured that out,” she said softly. “You know that, right?” 

He didn’t say anything and she traced her lips with her tongue, watching him. 

“Doctor, you saved everyone who bought one of those things and you made it so they can’t make more, yeah?” she said. He just stayed quiet, his eyes still closed. “I’m more than happy to go to their headquarters and do some threatening. We’re quite good at it and I think we should, but don’t do this to yourself.” 

He still didn’t speak or move, and she didn’t try to touch him. 

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered. He inhaled sharply at those words but still didn’t speak or open his eyes, and she just let out a breath. “You want me to go?” 

“No,” he said. She just looked at him, and she laced their fingers together. 

There was a knock at the door and the Doctor opened his eyes as Rose stood up, finding Jackie with Tony in her arms, looking at them. 

“Oh, for God’s sake. Get out of the damn loo,” she said, turning around and moving to the living room. Rose sighed and the Doctor scrunched his face for a moment before they followed her. She was sitting on the couch with Tony in her lap, who, just as the Doctor suspected, had grown so tired from the pain and tears that he had fallen asleep. 

“I’m so sorry,” the Doctor whispered, standing in the archway. Jackie sighed. 

“Sit,” she demanded, and the Doctor clenched his jaw and collapsed into a chair. Rose sat down next to him and both looked at Jackie, who was wiping her eyes. “Tell me what happened exactly.” 

“The chip. It….” he said, but he felt his throat tighten, and Rose took over, filling Jackie in on the puzzle pieces the Doctor put together, telling her it was all going to be okay and Tony would be fine in a little while, and that the Doctor stopped them. 

Jackie just stared at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was eyeing the carpet, his shoulders slumped forward, not speaking again, and she sighed. 

“You stupid idiot,” she whispered, and the Doctor closed his eyes and clenched his jaw again, ready for a slap or a scolding he knew he deserved. “I’m not mad at you. You…”

He glanced up at her, and she was shaking her head at him, almost in amazement. “You saved him. You’ve saved all of us. So many times. I just…” Rose bit her lip and placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing slightly. “I was scared.” 

“Me too,” he admitted, surprising himself. Jackie just brushed Tony’s blonde hair off of his forehead and cradled him in her arms, rocking gently. 

“Do you want to use that screwdriver of yours and scan him?” she asked, and the Doctor just nodded. “Come here, then.” 

He sighed, and Rose let her hand fall and rest on the arm of her chair before she absent mindedly moved it to her belly, watching as he knelt down beside Tony. He scanned him carefully and slowly and Jackie glanced over at Rose, smiling inwardly when she saw her touching her stomach, because of course she knew. 

A mother’s intuition. 

She kept her mouth shut for once, though, wanting to let them tell her when they were ready, and she looked back at the Doctor, whose worry lines were softening just a little as he read the data. 

“He’ll be okay sooner than I thought,” he said, visibly easing. “Sleep is helping.” 

The relief he felt was staggering. 

Jackie cupped a hand to his cheek, and he looked up at her. “Thank you.” 

She wasn’t trying to make a snarky comment or teasing insult, and he knew she meant it. He nodded, and they all heard the front door open, turning to see Pete walk in with donuts. He was smiling, but he stopped when he felt the tone of the room, and he dropped the donuts off on the entry table, suddenly concerned. 

“What happened?” he asked. 

“Everything is fine,” Jackie said. “I’ll tell you later.” 

He moved to the couch and looked at Tony, and when the Doctor saw the confusion in his eyes, all he could think about is how much he would want to know what was going on if that was his child in Jackie’s arms, so he filled him in anyway. Pete grimaced and shook his head. 

“You figured that out and stopped it all from our backyard?” he asked, trying to bring humor to the situation in the weird way only Pete could. 

“Technically it was on the TARDIS,” the Doctor said dully, not realizing Pete was complimenting him, and Rose rolled her eyes. Pete smirked a little. 

“Doctor, thank you.” 

“I’m going to go smash that damn robot,” Jackie said, handing Tony to her husband. The Doctor stood back up when she did, ready to go back to Rose, but before he could move Jackie had pulled him into a hug and was squeezing him a little. He hugged her back, and she wiped her eyes as she pulled away. “Enough of that. He’s fine. I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re all fine. I want a donut.” 

The Doctor laughed a little as Jackie crossed to the pink box Pete brought home, and his eyes caught Rose’s, who was biting her lip. For the first time in a few hours, he gave her a small genuine smile. She nudged her mind. 

_I love you._

_I love you, too._

They all kept an eye on Tony, though it was obvious he was going to sleep for a while and the Doctor scanned him every hour. When he finally woke up he woke up the sun had gone down and he was a little dazed. 

“Hey,” the Doctor said. He was sitting in his chair but he moved to the couch and knelt down next to his nephew, scanning again. 

“Uncle Doctor?” he said softly, and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. 

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m here,” he said, and Tony hugged him. Jackie walked into the room, having decided to make some food for Tony when he woke up and Pete had been sitting next to his son, watching as the Doctor hugged him back. 

Rose bit her lip. 

“Your Uncle Doctor was your hero today, T,” Pete said. 

“Really?” he asked, looking at the Doctor, who swallowed and felt Rose touch his shoulder. 

“Are you alright?” she asked her brother. He just smiled at her. 

“Can I have apple juice?” he asked, and Rose just laughed. The Doctor kissed her hair and Pete’s eyes found Jackie’s, who was reigning in tears of relief as she handed her son a sippy cup. 

“How’s your head, sweetheart?” she asked. Tony was sipping his juice and just gave his mother a silly look, and she smiled, kissing his cheeks. “Oh, my sweet boy, I missed you.” 

Tony seemed very confused, and Pete pulled him into a hug, too. 

“Yuck!” he teased when Pete gave him a wet kiss on the forehead, and they all laughed again. 

It didn’t feel like the right time to tell them, Rose thought, as she watched her parents take care of their son, and after they all ate some rice and chicken bowls that thankfully agreed with Rose’s stomach, she ended up kissing them goodnight and heading upstairs with the Doctor, who just wanted the day to be over. 

He still felt rather guilty, despite the fact he knew Tony was okay, and he was trying to trust Jackie and Pete understood what happened, but he still felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he slipped his suit off and slowly pulled his tie around his neck. Rose locked the door. 

“Stop,” she whispered. “Let me.” 

He looked over at her, and watched her slowly undo every button on his Oxford, removing it with care. It wasn’t flirtatious, and she pulled his undershirt off too, tossing it all in a hamper before she slid his belt through the loops and then unzipped his trousers. “You don’t have to -” 

“Let me?” she repeated, her eyes dancing with his. He nodded, watching her again as she tugged on his trousers until he was free of them, wearing socks and boxers, and she led him to the bed. 

“What are you doing?” he asked as she had him lie down and climbed in next to him. She grabbed his hand. 

“I want to show you something,” she whispered. “Is that okay?” 

He tilted his head to look at her, and she kissed his shoulder. She closed his eyes, and he lingered his gaze on her face for a moment before he closed his, immediately feeling her nudge her mind completely, and he was hit with a series of memories, one right after the other. 

_She was in a dark hallway, confused and a little frightened, when she felt a hand grip hers._

_“Run!” he said, and the next thing she knew, she was following a man in a leather jacket away from the mannequins that had been chasing her, bantering immediately._

_He saved her._

_She was then on Satellite 5, glowing from the inside out, becoming an impossible thing neither ever imagined when he kissed her for the first time._

_He saved her._

_He saved her again when Cassandra infiltrated her mind. Again when they crashed into the parallel world for the first time. Again when the Wire stole her face. Again on Krop Tor._

_He came back for her._

_He saved her constantly for a year following, and memories of the time in between the crash of those ocean waves and the waters of Atlantis flooded his mind, a dizzying succession of feelings and images._

He almost opened his eyes, the thoughts she was sending him rendering him speechless and were almost too much, but she kept going. 

_He saved her from the Sidekick 2.0 experiment, again from the Wiccens, again from the Master._

_He saved her._

He had to open his eyes the moment he saw Rassilon’s face, and Rose was breathless. He pulled her to him, holding her close and she trailed small kisses on his shoulder and neck, and he sighed. 

“I see what you did, there,” he said, and she smiled, kissing him still. 

“How often do we have to save each other because one of us stumbles into something we shouldn’t?” she murmured. 

“Every time?” he asked, a small smile curling on his lips. She kissed him again. 

“Exactly,” she said. “If we hadn’t bought Tony that toy, we would have never known there was a problem. You, mister, are very clever. And you’re very good at protecting the ones you love. Don’t forget that and try not to blame yourself, yeah?” 

He stopped her kisses by tilting her chin up to him, staring at her. “Thank you.” 

She snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her, and he knew he probably wouldn’t sleep very much, but he held her, letting her sweet honey waft around him as she slept, and he closed his eyes, drifting in and out for a while, but he felt restless and he was worried about waking her up. 

He slipped out of bed and sighed, throwing actual pajamas on and headed downstairs. It was dark and quiet, and he brewed himself a cup of tea before he sat in the backyard on the porch, staring at the stars. 

He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but the warm summer air and the sight of the galaxy from this view was calming him a little, and he jumped when Jackie suddenly spoke. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Blimey!” he gasped, shaking his head at her. “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning.” 

“Can’t sleep,” she said. He just looked at her and nodded, turning his attention back to the stars. “Can I sit?” 

“It’s your house,” he murmured, sipping his tea. Jackie smirked at him and sat beside him, also looking at the stars. 

“What’s that one?” she asked. “That small flickering one?”

“Just...a star,” he said. “It flickers because of turbulence in the atmosphere. It doesn’t look like that anywhere but here on Earth.” 

“What’s it look like elsewhere?” she asked. He shrugged. 

“Bright, mostly,” he said. He half expected her to hit his arm, thinking he might be mocking her, but she surprised him and just let out a breath, watching. 

“I just can’t stop going into his room and checking on him,” she said. “But I do hope you aren’t out here wallowing.” 

He smirked, looking down at the ground for a moment, then looked at her. “No, well...not as much as I could be. Rose…” 

“You don’t have to tell me,” she whispered. He just swallowed. 

“Nah, it’s okay,” he said, sniffing. “She talked me down quite a bit. She’s good at that.” 

Jackie just watched him and she leaned against the house, her eyes trailing more stars closer to the moon. “Did she ever tell you what I told her when you brought Mickey back?” 

He took another sip of tea. “Sort of.” 

“I said a lot of things, I s’pose. but...Mostly it was that she belongs with you,” she said. “You make each other better. And you both belong out there. Where the stars are bright and don’t flicker.” He didn’t say anything and she sighed. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this answer later, but is she -” 

“Don’t,” he whispered, not looking at her. “Whatever you’re about to ask, Jackie, please don’t.” 

She stared at him, and they both knew he answered her unspoken words. She smiled and cleared her throat. “Can I just say this?” 

“I think you’re going to no matter what I say, no?” he teased, and she just rolled her eyes. 

“Shut up,” she said, and he shook his head. “If ever or whenever you two decide to start a family...You’ll make a hell of a dad.” 

He stiffened and sighed, and he rubbed his hand against his eyes. He knew she knew and they just weren’t going to say it, and he let that be okay for a moment and she rubbed his arm. “Maybe.” 

Jackie just took a deep breath and he was thinking about how in five years they had sporadic encounters with aliens that involved kids, sure, but somehow in the last six months they were starting to grow more and more frequent, and he couldn’t help but feel like that was destiny pulling out its tricks. 

He was trying so hard to believe... 

He ran his hand through his hair, still looking at the stars. Jackie dropped her hand and sighed. 

“Do you want to see Tony?” she asked. He looked at her. 

“Yeah,” he said. They both stood up and checked on him, but he was sound asleep, the nightlight from Christmas 2008 still sitting on his bedside table. 

“I’m going to try to sleep,” Jackie whispered. “You should, too.” 

“Alright,” he said, and she patted his arm as she walked back to her room, and when he walked into his Rose was still asleep, and he curled up behind her, placing his hand on her abdomen. 

“Once upon a time…” he began, and whispered a story about the princess and the traveler, eventually slowing down as he grew sleepier. 

He dreamt of the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know Rose didn't actually tell Jackie in this story, but she will! This one went in a completely different direction than I thought. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed! Next one will be out soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all like this one!


End file.
